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Friday, November 28, 2008

Because of terror attacks in Mumbai, England have cut short the seven-match ODI series and are scheduled to fly back home on Saturday morning. To save the two-match Test series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shifted the final Test from Mumbai to Chennai.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has assured BCCI that the team would return for the Test series starting in Ahmedabad on December 11.

Terror attacks has not only affected Englands tour of India but the weeklong Champions League which was scheduled to start Wednesday, involving eight teams from Australia, South Africa, India, England and Pakistan has also been postponed.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Yuvraj seemed to have no mercy over England bowlers in the first One-day international of the first India England ODI series at Rajkot. 4's and 6's were raining like hell. Yuvraj’s splendid knock of 138 of 78 balls led to a 158 rout by India beating England. Yuvraj’s knock which included 16 fours and 6 sixes was reminiscent of his T20 knock in 2007 Twenty 20 world cup in South Africa.

Yuvrajs exhilarating century was the quickest century in ODIs against England and the second fastest century by any Indian in this format of the game. Pietersen had nothing but admiration for Yuvraj later said that "If you stand and watch an innings like Yuvraj played and Sehwag you have just got to take your hat off to the way they played”. Yuvraj who batted with a runner because of a back injury during the early part of his innings scored his ninth one-day century. This innings was one of Yuvraj’s finest innings ever in the format of the game. Yuvraj later said "I've had a couple of bad months with not being in the Test side but I am coming back to my best and to hit a knock like that was a good effort".

Such a knock from Yuvraj was long overdue and no better way to come back in form from a couple of months of unsuccessful stretch. Yuvraj who scored 100 of his 138 runs in boundaries really got going after the power play was taken after 34 overs. Yuvraj lifted Andrew Flintoff with an elegant six down the ground and then he started his brute force attack getting to fifty from only 38 balls. At that time the stage was set for Yuvraj, his confidence and form seemed to back with a vengeance and he raced from 50 to 100 in just 22 balls and his last 37 runs were scored in 13 balls. This indeed was one of the finest knocks I had ever witnessed so much not for me for Yuvi himself.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Having retired from international cricket, Sourav Ganguly will surely miss sharing the dressing room with his team-mates. So what does life hold for him after retirement? CNN-IBN caught up with him at his home in Kolkata for an exclusive interview.

CNN-IBN: It must be a fantastic feeling for you. When you left the Indian dressing room it was a happy dressing room, a victorious dressing room.

Sourav Ganguly: Oh yes, of course. When I announced my retirement, I hoped that it would finish this way. I finished with a smiling face on everyone.

I couldn't have expected more than this, beating the best team in the world 2-0 convincingly, in India, and performing so well, not just me but everyone. We finished (the series) with a lot of high. I couldn't have expected more than this.

CNN-IBN: You have got a T-shirt signed by the entire team and Sachin Tendulkar again failed to write correct Bengali on it.

Sourav Ganguly: Yes, it was pretty emotional, touching. I didn't even know about it. I had gone to do an interview so my wife took the shirt out from my bag and quietly asked all the boys to sign it. It was a nice gesture from her. It was the first time I found her so interested in the game.They are a fantastic bunch of boys. You hear a lot of things when things don't go well, but unless and until you actually be in the dressing room you don't know what it's all about. So it's been a fantastic journey.

CNN-IBN: Sourav, how are you as a Dad? Are you a strict father?

Sourav Ganguly: No, not really.

Dona Ganguly: He has his times. There are times he becomes strict and says 'I should discipline my daughter'. But at times he is so liberal, but that's during the times when he used to come back from tours. But when he would stay for a longer time he felt like he should discipline.

Sourav Ganguly: With me she (his daughter) can get away with everything.

Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly are being felicitated by the BCCI in the chandelier-dripping club house at the stadium, in the presence of the who’s who of Indian cricket and there isn’t a cricketer who isn’t moved, writes S. Ram Mahesh.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Anil Kumble has announced his retirement from cricket, saying the finger injury he sustained on the third day of the Test helped him make his decision. The news was made public minutes after the tea break on the final day; Kumble then bowled four overs before the match was called off as a draw.

"The body was asking questions every day," he said. "It was not easy to keep bowling the way I have been bowling the last 18 years, to keep going. The injury I had on the third day probably helped me make the decision."

The captaincy now passes on to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who already leads India in the shorter forms of the game.

Kumble made the formal announcement at the post-match press conference, at which he received a standing ovation from the journalists crowded into the room. He doffed his cap and sat down to speak to the media one last time as an India player and captain. He stayed composed throughout the conference, which took place minutes after the emotional farewell he had received on the field.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Aspirited India today recorded their first ever bilateral ODI series triumph in Sri Lanka, beating the hosts by 46 runs in the fourth one day international to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five match series. Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again was involved in building a partnership as Raina and Virat Kohli also played a handsome role.Brief Scores : India 258 all out (49.4 overs), Raina 76, Dhoni 71, Kohli 54. Bowling, T'shara 5/47. Sri Lanka 212 all out (46.3 overs), Jayasuria 60, T'shara 40. Bowling, Harbhajan 3/40.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The fourth one dayer between India and Sri Lanka was called off today without a single ball being bowled due to intermittent rain at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The day night match will be played on the reserved day on Wednesday. Umpires Billy Doctrove and Gamini Silva made the final inspection at around 6 pm and took the decision to draw stumps.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Australia's opening batsman Matthew Hayden will miss Australia's limited overs cricket series against Bangladesh starting Saturday because of an Achilles tendon injury. Michael Clarke will lead the team in Ponting's absence. Matthew Hayden has been the most successful opener for the Australian team in the recent past. We wish Hayden to recover soon.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

India managed to script a narrow 33-run victory in the third one dayer against Sri Lanka in Colombo. The skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from front with his 76-run knock to help India put a fighting total on th board. It looked that Indian pacers were involved in a race to outshine each other as Zaheer Khan struck thrice.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

After two low scoring games in the series for both sides, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene expects his batsmen to come good on the batting friendly track of Premadasa and said that Chaminda Vaas was shaping up well to play in Sunday's match. On talking about the fragile Indian batting Mahela said that "these are the players who are playing for quite some time. So you can't say that. It is just that probably you should give credit to our bowlers. So I think I am sure they will come stongly and we just have to be prepared.